Method of making ice skates



April 13, 1965 e. A. E. COUTURE 3,177,575

METHOD OF MAKING ICE SKATES Filed Sept. 13, 1961 Geo/ye /4. (bl/fare WW 6%,

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,177,575 METHOD OF MAKING ICE SKATES George A. E. Couture, Quebec, Quebec, Canada, assiguor to St. Lawrence Manufacturing Company, Inc., Gilfard, Quebec, Canada, a corporation of Quebec Filed Sept. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 137,906 2 Claims. (Cl. 29-463) This invention relates to a method of making ice skates constructed for attachment to shoes, it being a primary object of the invention to provide a method of making an ice skate of lighter weight and greater strength than those previously known.

It is a further object to construct and assemble the blade I and attachment frame in a manner assuring a uniform product with few rejects and a streamlined skate construction having a minimum of projecting parts which might catch on snow or ice or other obstruction.

It is a further object to provide a method of constructing ice skates with a minimum waste of material and labor, providing a superior skate at a reduced cost.

The above and other objects will be clear from the following description when considered in connection with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a roll of strip steel from which the blade is formed with one blank severed from the strip.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the blade, produced by the method herein disclosed, wherein the blank is bent vertically at the ends in the production of a figure skate blade and indicating the end portions removed.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the preformed blade.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are, respectively, plan and edge views of a stamping blank from which one of the front frame units is formed.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are similar views of one of the heel stampings.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the assembled skate.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation thereof.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of the skate, taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 11-11 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a vertical section on the line 12-12 of FIG. 9.

Referring now to the details of the drawings, illustrating the construction of a figure skate, the blade stock is supplied in the form of a coil 6 of steel of the exact breadth (thickness) and width (vertical height) desired for the blade. The strip steel is first straightened out into a flat sheet and then severed into blanks 7 only slightly longer than required for the particular skate blades being produced. The blanks are then bent longitudinally at the forward and rearward ends, as indicated at 11 and 12, to provide the desired curvature 13 on the skate blade 10. The excess material is then cut away in a suitable die to remove the forward piece 8 and rearward piece 9. Each of these pieces is preferably severed in a manner to leave the skate end finished to the desired contour. Thus in the production of figure skates the forward end is provided with a rounded series of sharp teeth 14 and the rearward end is rounded as shown at 15. The cut edges may be smoothed to remove any burrs or other irregularities.

The forward attachment frame 16 includes two complementary units 17 and 18 for the left and right side of the skate, respectively. The units are stamped from sheet metal into a blank form 19, shown for the left side in FIGS. 4 and 5, the right side being the same, but reversed. The blank 19 includes a shoe plate section 20 which may be later curved, as shown in FIG. 9, to conform to the shape or the shoe sole. The inner edge portion of the blank includes at the forward end a shank portion 21 and a terminal attachment extension 22.

The shank is bent downwardly on the dotted line shown in FIG. 4 to a position perpendicular to the general plane of plate 20. The edges of the shank portion 21 have flanges 24, the extent of each flange being one-half the thickness of the blade 10 so that when the frame is assembled the facing flanges of the two shanks of the half frames form a pocket above the blade for a purpose described below. The rearward end of the blank 19 has a shank 30 and a terminal extension 31, the shank being bent downwardly on the dotted line shown in FIG. 4 to aline with extension 22, as shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10. The shank 30 has flanges 32 similar to flanges 24, shown in detail in FIG. 11.

The interiors of the shank portions 21, 21 and 30, 30, when the units 17 and 18 are placed in assembled positions, are supplied with inserts 28 and 34 respectively placed in and substantially filling the pockets formed by flanges 24 and 32. The inserts are of the same thickness as the blade and extend generally from the blade to the shoe plate 20. They may be of irregular shape and are desirably formed of scrap from the severed ends 8 and 9 of the blade stock, reshaped to the extent required, with additional pieces cut from the same stock roll 6. They are positioned in the pockets formed by the flanges 24 and 32 as the units 17 and 18 are assembled over and against the forward end of the blade where they are rigidly secured to the blade as by welding, as indicated at 26 and 33. The shanks and inserts are secured rigidly together as by welding, as indicated at 29 and 35, or by solder or the like, to provide smooth exterior surfaces only slightly wider than the blade.

The frame includes a heel support 36 formed of two complementary units 37 and 38, of the same construction but reversed, to serve as left and right halves. Each unit includes a shoe plate section 40, a shank 41 and attachment extension 42. The shank is turned downwardly on the dotted line shown in FIG. 6 to present the two attachment extensions 42 at opposite faces of the blade. The shanks are formed with flanges 44, similar to flanges 32, at the front and rear to form a pocket to receive the insert 46, similar to inserts 28 and 34. The extensions 42 are secured to the outer faces of the blade as by welding shown at 45, and the shanks are rigidly secured to the insert as by Welds 47.

It has been found preferable to assemble the frame pieces with the inserts 28, 34 and 46 and to weld these parts together and then to weld the preformed structures to the blade as a separate operation.

The blades are attached to the shoe (not shown) in any suitable manner, as by bolts, rivets or nails passing through openings 48 in the forward plates and openings 50 in the heel plate.

From the above description it will be noted that each complete skate is formed of a blade, four light metal stampings and three inserts which may be formed of scrap steel. These parts may be readily assembled and secured together by welding, brazing or soldering. The attachment of the frame and blade, as disclosed, are particularly adapted to the electric resistance method of welding. The inserts between the shank portion create the required resistance to compression for the welds, where the electrodes may be applied against the outer surfaces of the shanks. Likewise the placing of the at tachment flanges 22, 31 and 42 over and against the upper portion of the blade assures the necessary internal resistance to the pressure required by this type of welding. When the welds have been completed the shoe plates are permanently and rigidly connected to one another and to the blades. The flanges on the shanks (see FIG. 11) serve not only to hold the inserts in place during as- 'sembly, but they also 7 V a smoothv exterior, only slightly thicker than the blade, 7 also avoiding entrance of foreign ,to said insert and from a stock stn strengthen the frame and'present pockets. Applicantsmethod' of stamping the blades and assembling them with ,the frame, results in a substantial economy of operation as well asa superior product Having thus described my invention in rather full detail, it will be understood that these details need not be strictlyextension, bending said shank portions matter into the insert adhered to and that various changes and-modifications may be made, all falling within'the scope of the invention 1 as recited in the appended claims. H

I claim:

1. The method of -forming aniice skate, comprising,

stamping successive blades of substantially uniform width and thickness throughout the ma or portionoftheir length from a stock strip; bending an upwardly curved'end onsaid stamped blade to'a predetermined curvature and rethe desired exposedend configuration, 7 frame units from: other stock sheets for left and right sides of skate, respectively, each comprising a shoe attachment plate section, extension, bending'said shank portions and attachment extensions into alined positions, generally perpendicular forming, inserts of sections,

to the planes of said plate said blade and of a length substantially the thickness of a shank portion and attachment tially the thickness of-the blade and o f aplength and height moving an end section of said blade stamping to, provide stamping integral 7 and height no' greater than corresponding dimensions of 1 said shank portions, assembling said right and left units 'togethertwith said shoe attachment plate sections alinedt and with said attachment extensions in position to engage, the sidesfof said blade with said inserts between said shank portions and securing said shank portions rigidly said extensions rigidly to said blade; 7

2. The method of forming an ice skate, comprising stamping successive blades of substantially uniform width and thickness throughout the major portion of'their length bending an v upwardly curved end pm said, stamped blade to a predetermined curvature and removing an end section of said blade stamping to provide the desired exposed end configuration, stamping integral frame units fromother stock sheets for left and right sides of skate, respectively, eachcomprising a shoe'attachment' plate section,':a shank portion, formedjwith inwardly diindirectly to one'another and securing stamped; a

5 V Reference'sCitedby the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 52,013, 1/66 'Barney 280-1l.l2 378,488 2/88 Barney 29-417 x 498,200 1 5/93 Whelpley 2801l'.l2 803,269 10/05 Bryant. V 7 1,478,796 12/23 Pinard L "280- 12 i 1,529,696 3/25' Goodenough 280 11.12 1,646,844 10/27, Winslow" 280--1l.l2 2,178,424 10/39 Johnson 28o 11.17 2,414,967. l/47 Meyers "8280-1118 X 2,463,949 3/49, Carlson 28011.l,7 2,479,741 8/49 Grimland. .t 113- 116 rnent on each I, alined and with extensions in I generally perpendicular to the planes of said shoe attachmenttplate sections and with said edge flanges alined to provide a hollow interior for said shank portion, enclosed at the edges thereof by said edge flanges, assembling said right and left frame units together on opposite sides of said blade with said plate sections alinedand said shank portions and attachment extensions positioned in ,alinev 7 said attachmelntextensionsin contact with 1 opposed facesof said blade, inserting inserts of substanno greater than the corresponding dimensions of said shank portions'intothehollow'interior or said shank portions, securing said shankportionsrigidly' to said insert and'indirectly to oneanother and securing said attachment extensions to said blade; the maximum thickness of the skate beneath saidshoeattachment plate section'being the thickness of said blade and two thicknesses of said other stock sheets from whichsaid frame .units are ,500,091 5 WHITMORE A; ,WILTZ, Primar Examiner. I PHILIP ARNOLD, Examiner; I

sideofsaid blad'e with saidedge'flanges 

1. THE METHOD OF FORMING AN ICE SKATE, COMPRISING STAMPING SUCCESSIVE BLADES OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM WIDTH AND THICKNESS THROUGHOUT THE MAJOR PORTION OF THEIR LENGTH FROM A STOCK STRIP, BENDING AN UPWARDLY CURVED END ON SAID STAMPED BLADE TO A PREDETERMINED CURVATURE AND REMOVING AN END SECTION OF SAID BLADE STAMPING TO PROVIDE THE DESIRED EXPOSED END CONFIGURATION, STAMPING INTEGRAL FRAME UNITS FROM OTHER STOCK SHEETS FOR LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES OF SKATE, RESPECTIVELY, EACH COMPRISING A SHOE ATTACHMENT PLATE SECTION, A SHANK PORTION AND ATTACHMENT EXTENSION, BENDING SAID SHANK PORTIONS AND ATTACHMENT EXTENSIONS INTO ALINED POSITIONS, GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANES OF SAID PLATES SECTIONS, FORMING INSERTS OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE THICKNESS OF SAID BLADE AND OF A LENGTH AND HEIGHT NO GREATER THAN CORRESPONDING DIMENSIONS OF SAID SHANK PORTIONS, ASSEMBLING SAID RIGHT AND LEFT UNITS TOGETHER WITH SAID SHOE ATTACHMENT PLATE SECTIONS ALINED AND WITH SAID ATTACHMENT EXTENSIONS IN POSITION TO ENGAGE THE SIDES OF SAID BLADE WITH SAID INSERTS BETWEEN SAID SHANK PORTIONS AND SECURING SAID SHANK PORTIONS RIGIDLY TO SAID INSERT AND INDIRECTLY TO ONE ANOTHER AND SECURING SAID EXTENSIONS RIGIDLY TO SAID BLADE. 